What is the empirical formula for a compound containing 38.8% carbon, 16.2% hydrogen, and 45.1% nitrogen?

To find the empirical formula for a compound, follow these steps:

1. Assume that you have 100g of the compound. This means that the percentages can be directly converted into grams. So, you have 38.8g of Carbon (C), 16.2g of Hydrogen (H), and 45.1g of Nitrogen (N).

2. Convert the mass of each element to moles. You do this by dividing the mass of each element by its atomic mass. The atomic mass of C is approximately 12.01 g/mol, H is approximately 1.01 g/mol, and N is approximately 14.01 g/mol.

   Moles of C = 38.8g / 12.01g/mol = 3.23 mol Moles of H = 16.2g / 1.01g/mol = 16.03 mol Moles of N = 45.1g / 14.01g/mol = 3.22 mol

3. Divide each mole quantity by the smallest number of moles calculated. In this case, the smallest number of moles is 3.22 mol (N).

   Ratio of C = 3.23 mol / 3.22 mol = 1.00 Ratio of H = 16.03 mol / 3.22 mol = 4.98 ≈ 5 (rounded to the nearest whole number) Ratio of N = 3.22 mol / 3.22 mol = 1.00

4. The empirical formula of the compound is therefore CH5N.